Door operating mechanism



Oct. 15, 1935. J. A. SCHWEIG DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l /N VENroe Hi6 Hr TOR/VEKS.

Get. 15, 1935. J A, H E G 2,017,736

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIl-llllllllllll.

.1416 HTTOPNL'Xs Patented Oct. 15, 193.5

EJNHTED STATES earsnr oFFIcE 13 Claims.

This invention relates to door operating mechanisms, particularly electric motor operated mechanisms for driving the door supporting sheaves of elevator doors of the vertically sliding,

counterbalanced type.

The invention has for its principal objects to provide a simple and efiicient electric motor operated chain drive for the door supporting sheaves which can be quickly and easily mounted on the elevator without material alteration thereof; to provide a sheave and motor supporting bracket which can be used on either side of the door opening, to provide a plurality of adjustments for maintaining the correct operating tension on said 1 drive chain, to permit the driving motor to be mounted on and dismounted from its supporting bracket independently of the other parts of the mechanism, to permit the door to be manually operated without disconnecting the door operating mechanism, and to provide for economy and compactness of design and fewness of parts. The invention consists in the door operating mechanism and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is an interior side elevation of the doorside of an elevator shaft provided with a door equipped with a door operating mechanism embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary interior side view of the doorside of the shaft in the region of the door operating mechanism,

Fig. l is a vertical section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 in Fig. 3,

Fig. '7 is a view showing the motor supporting bracket located on the left hand side of the door opening; and

Fig. 8 is a similar view looking at the opposite side of the bracket shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, my

invention is shown in connection with the ordinary freight elevator comprising a shaft having a wall A provided with a door opening B, which is closed by means of a vertically sliding, counterbalanced door comprising upper and lower door sections C and D, respectively. Said upper and lower sliding door sections are provided along their vertical edges with shoes I that slidably engage vertical angle bar door guides, 2 rigidly secured to each other and to the wall A of the elevator shaft on opposite sides of the door open- 5 ing B.

The upper and lower sections of the door are hung on chains 3 that pass overgrooved drive wheels or sheaves 4 and 4a located within the elevator shaft, one adjacent to each upper corner 10 of the door opening. One end of each door supporting chain 3 is suitably connected to the adjacent lower corner of the upper door section C; and the other end of said chain is connected to the upper end of an upright rod 5, whose lower 15 end is secured to the outer end of an arm 6 that projects horizontally from the adjacent upper corner of the lower door section D. By this arrangement, one door section serves to counterbalance the weight of the other; and the two secac tions move simultaneously towards and away from each other. The door construction thus far described is well known and it is considered unnecessary to illustrate it in detail.

The door supporting sheaves 4 and 4a are ro- 25 tated to open and close the door by means of a chain and sprocket drive operated by an electric motor, preferably a reversible torque motor 1, which can be stalled under full load for several minutes without injury. The customary limit 30 switches (not shown) are employed for automatically stopping the motor when the door sections have reached the limit of their opening and closing movements; and the usual push button stations (not shown) are provided on the elevator 35 car and/or on each floor for starting, stopping and reversing said motor.

The motor driven chain-and-sprocket drive comprises an endless sprocket drive chain 8, which is located in a horizontal channel 9 formed 40 in the interior face of the front wall A of the elevator shaft just above the lintel ll! of the door opening, a driving sprocket wheel ll fixed 'to the armature shaft I2 of the motor 1, oppositely driven sprocket wheels l3 and I 3a rotatable with the 45 respective door sheaves 4 and 4a, and grooved idler wheels l4 and I 5 for guiding and supporting said chain. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, thedriving sprocket wheel ll, together with the idler wheels I4 and 15, are located adjacent to the 50 driven sprocket wheel l3 and on the side thereof remote from the other driven sprocket wheel I So, with the axis of the idler wheel l4 located substantially in a horizontal plane passing. through the axis of the driven sprocket wheel 13, 55

with the other idler wheel l located above said plane and with the driving sprocket wheel I I located below said plane.

With the above arrangement of sprocket and.

idler wheels, the endless cross-drive chain 8 passes around the driven sprocket wheel I3a and both stretches of said chain extend across the door opening and pass above the driven sprocket wheel I3 with the lower stretch in driving engagement therewith. Said lower stretch thence passes downwardly around the driven sprocket wheel I3 to the idler wheel I4 and the driving sprocket wheel I I, thence upwardly on the opposite side of said idler wheel and thence over the uppermost idler wheel I5 to form the upper stretch of said chain. The upper idler wheel I5 serves to hold the upper stretch of the cross-drive chain clear of the lower stretch thereof where it passes over the driven sprocket wheel I 3; and the idler wheel I4 serves to maintain a substantially ninety degree are of contact between said chain and said sprocket wheel.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the electric motor I, together with the driving sprocket wheel I I, the idler wheels I4 and I5, the driven sprocket wheel I3 and the door sheave 4, are all supported on a bracket I6 that is removably secured along one vertical edge by means of bolts H to the adjacent angle bar guide 2. The driving sprocket II, the idler wheels I4 and I5 and the driven sprocket wheel I3 are located on the wall opposing side of the bracket I6; and the motor I and the door sheave 4 are located on the other side of said bracket. The door sheave 4 is mounted in an opening provided therefor in a laterally offset portion I8 of the bracket I6 and is fixed to a shaft I3, one end of which is journaled in said offset portion and the other end of which is journaled in the main body portion of such bracket and extends on the opposite side and has the driven sprocket wheel I 3 fixed thereto. This sheave and sprocket wheel shaft is preferably located on the horizontal center line of the bracket IS.

The idler wheels I4 and I5 are journaled on stub shafts 20 and 2|, respectively. The shaft 20 for the idler wheel I4 is supported in a hole 22 provided therefor in the bracket I6 at the horizontal center line thereof; and the shaft 2| for the idler wheel I5 is supported in a hole 23 provided therefor in said bracket above said center line. One end of the stub shaft 20 is fixed to the bracket I6 by means of a nut 24; and the other end of said shaft is provided with a washer 25 and a cotter pin 26 for holding the idler wheel I4 thereon. The other stub shaft 2| is likewise provided with a nut 21 for securing it to the bracket I6 and a washer 28 and cotter pin 29 for holding the idler wheel I5 on said shaft.

The bracket I6 is provided below the horizontal center line thereof with an opening 30 through which the armature shaft I2 of the motor 1 extends, said opening being large enough to permit said shaft to be moved vertically therein. The motor is removably secured to the bracket I6 preferably by means of three bolts 3|, whose respective head ends slidably and nonrotatably engage three vertically elongated slots 32 in said bracket and whose threaded ends extend through three equally spaced radially extending lugs 33 on the armature end of the motor casing and are provided with nuts 34 for clamping said lugs to said bracket. With this arrangement, the motor I may be quickly mounted on and dismounted from the bracket I6 by removing the nuts 34 of the securing bolts 3|; and the correct operating tension of the endless cross-drive chain 8 may be obtained by loosening said nuts so as to permit vertical adjustment of the motor relative to said bracket.

Two of the three bolt receiving slots 32 are pref- 5 erably disposed in vertical alinement on one side of the armature shaft receiving opening 38 substantially equal distances above and below the same with the upper slot located on the horizontal center line of the bracket. The third bolt receiving slot 32 is preferably located on the other side of the opening 38 opposite the space between said two first mentioned slots. The bracket I6 is provided below the horizontal center line thereof with a hole 23a, and above said line with an opening 30a and two slots 32a and 32b, respectively. The hole 230 is a counterpart of the idler wheel shaft receiving opening 23 and is disposed in the vertical plane thereof and at the same distance from the horizontal center line of the bracket. The opening 30a is a counterpart of the armature shaft receiving opening 36 and is disposed in vertical alinement with the opening 33 and at the same distance from said center line. The slot 320. is the counterpart of the 'lower of the two alined slots 32 and is disposed in line therewith and at the same distance from said center line. The slot 32b is the counterpart of the third slot 32 and is located in line therewith and at the same distance from said center line. This metrical correspondence of the openings and slots with reference to the medium plane or horizontal center line of the bracket permits said bracket and the parts supported thereby to be used on the other side of the door opening (see Figs. 6 and 7). In such use, the bracket is turned end for end in a vertical plane, the door sheave and driven sprocket wheel and the idler wheel I4 being left undisturbed. The armature shaft is extended through the opening 3% and the motor is secured in place 40 by engaging the bolts 3| with the medial slot 32 and the slots 32a and 32b, and the supporting stud 2I for the idler wheel I5 is shifted from the hole 23 to the hole 23a.

The door sheave 4a and driven sprocket wheel I3a are fixed to a shaft 35, which is journaled in the free lower'end of an arm 33 pivoted at 31 to the adjacent door guide 2 for vertical swinging movement towards and away from the sheave 4, so as to vary the distance between the two sprocket wheels and thus place the sprocket chains under the desired tension. The sheave and sprocket supporting arm '36 is adjusted preferably by means of a pair of nuts 38 that are threaded on a stud 39 fixed to the adjacent door guide 2. The stud 39 fits within a notch 43 provided therefor in the free lower end of said arm, and the adjusting nuts 38 are disposed one on each side of said end of said arm.

The hereinbefore described door operating 69 mechanism has numerous advantages. It provides a simple and compact motor driven crosschain drive for the two door supporting sheaves which occupies a minimum amount of space in the elevator shaft and which can be easily mounted on said shaft without material alteration thereof. It provides means on either side of the door opening for adjusting the cross-drive chain to take up the slack therein; and it per- 70 mits the same supporting bracket to be used on either side of the door opening.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described arrangement admits of considerable modification without departing from the invention. Therefore, I

do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located-one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an electric motor, a driving sprocket wheel fixed to the armature shaft of said motor, and an endless sprocket chain passing around said driving sprocket wheel and one of said first mentioned sprocket wheels with one stretch in engagement with the other of said first mentioned sprocket wheels.

2. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an electric motor, a driving sprocket wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said driving sprocket wheel and one of said first mentioned sprocket wheels with one stretch in engagement with the other of said first mentioned sprocket wheels, and an idler wheel for holding the other stretch of said chain clear of said first mentioned stretch.

3. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a driving sprocket wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said driving sprocket wheel and one of said first mentioned sprocket wheels with one stretch in engagement with the other of said first mentioned sprocket wheels, an idler wheel for holding the other stretch of said chain clear of said first mentioned stretch, and a supporting bracket for said driving sprocket wheel, for the sprocket wheel engaged by one stretch of said chain and for said idler wheel.

4. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one adjacent to each upper corner of said door, chains passing over the respective drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a driving sprocket wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said driving sprocket wheel and one of said first mentioned sprocket wheels with one stretch in engagement with the other of said first mentioned sprocket wheels, an idler wheel for holding the other stretch of said chain clear of said first mentioned stretch, a supporting bracket for said driving sprocket wheel, for the sprocket wheel engaged by one stretch of said chain and for said idler wheel, and means for adjusting said driving sprocket wheel relative to said bracket to place said chain under the desired tension.

5. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an endless sprocket chain engaging said sprocket wheels, a bracket for supporting one of said drive wheels and the sprocket wheel rotatable therewith, a motor mounted on said bracket, and a driving sprocket wheel fixed to the armature shaft of said motor and directly engaging 'said sprocket chain for driving the 5 same.

6. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an endless sprocket chain cooperating with said sprocket wheels, a bracket for supporting one of said drive wheels and the sprocket wheel rotatable therewith, a motor mounted on said bracket, a driving sprocket wheel fixed to the armature shaft of said motor for driving said sprocket chain, and separate means for shifting the other sprocket wheel andsaid driving sprocket wheel for placing said chain under proper tension.

7. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an endless sprocket chain passing around one of said sprocket wheels with both stretches thereof disposed on one side of the other sprocket wheel with one stretch in engagement therewith, an electric motor having a drive sprocket wheel on its armature shaft oooperating with said chain to drive the same, an idler wheel cooperating with said other stretch of said sprocket chain for holding the same away 85 from said first mentioned stretch, and an idler wheel cooperating with said chain for maintaining a substantially ninety degree are of contact between said chain and said driving sprocket wheel.

8. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an endless sprocket chain passing around one of said sprocket wheels with both stretches thereof disposed on one side of the other sprocket wheel with one stretch in engagement therewith, an electric motor having a drive sprocket wheel on its armature shaft cooperating with said chain to drive the same, an idler wheel cooperating with said other stretch of said sprocket chain for holding the same away from said first mentioned stretch, an idler wheel cooperating with said chain for maintaining a sub-v stantially ninety degree are of contact between said chain and said driving sprocket wheel, and a single bracket for supporting said other sprocket wheel, the drive wheel rotatable therewith, said idler wheels and said motor.

9. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, an endless sprocket chain passing around one of said sprocket wheels with both stretches thereof disposed on one side of the other sprocket wheel with one stretch in engagement therewith, an electric motor having a drive sprocket wheel on its armature shaft cooperating with said chain to drive the same, an idler wheel cooperating with said other stretch of said sprocket chain for holding the same away from said first mentioned stretch, an idler wheel cooperating with said chain for maintaining a substantially ninety degree arc of contact between said chain and said driving sprocket wheel, and a single bracket for supporting said other sprocket wheel, the drive wheel rotatable therewith, said idler wheels and said motor, said motor being adjustably mounted on said bracket whereby said chain may be placed under proper tension.

10. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a driving sprocket wheel, an endless sprocket chain passing around said driving sprocket wheel and one of said sprocket wheels with one stretch of said chain in driving engagement with the other driven sprocket wheel, and means for separately adjusting said driving sprocket wheel and said other sprocket wheel for placing said chain under proper tension.

11. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and. lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one at each upper corner of said door, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket Wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a bracket, a shaft for one of said drive wheels and the sprocket wheel rotatable therewith, said shaft being mounted in said bracket, a driving sprocket wheel adjustably supported on said bracket on the side of said shaft remote from the other sprocket wheel, an idler wheel mounted on said bracket on said side of said shaft, and an endless sprocket chain trained around said sprocket wheels, said driving sprocket wheel and said idler wheel.

12. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one at each upper corner of said door, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door 5 sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a bracket, a shaft for one of said drive wheels and the sprocket wheel rotatable therewith, said shaft being mounted in said bracket, an electric motor mounted on said 10 bracket on the side of said shaft remote from the other sprocket wheel, a driving sprocket wheel on the armature shaft of said electric motor, an idler wheel mounted on said bracket on said side of said shaft, and an endless sprocket chain l5 trained around said sprocket wheels, said driving sprocket wheel and said idler wheel.

13. In a door operating mechanism, a door comprising vertically slidable upper and lower door sections, a pair of drive wheels located one 20 adjacent to each upper corner of the door opening, chains passing over said drive wheels and connecting said door sections, sprocket wheels rotatable with the respective drive wheels, a bracket, a shaft for one of said drive wheels and the sprocket wheel rotatable therewith, said shaft being mounted in said bracket on the horizontal center line thereof, a driving sprocket wheel mounted on said bracket below said center line, an idler wheel mounted on said bracket above said center line, and an endless sprocket chain trained around said sprocket wheels, said driving sprocket wheel and said idler wheel, said bracket being arranged for mounting said driving sprocket wheel and said idler wheel in reverse positions, whereby said bracket is reversible end for end in a vertical plane for use on either side of said door opening.

JULIUS A. SCHWEIG. 

